The Devil Herself
by ejo
Summary: For Mikan Sakura, transforming five devilish boys for the better is definitely not an easy task. The problem? Those boys have a winning streak for misbehaviour. Her secret? She's the Devil herself.
1. The Punishment

**The Devil Herself  
[Revised]**

**Summary: **For Mikan Sakura, transforming five devilish boys for the better is definitely not an easy task. The problem? Those boys have a winning streak for misbehaviour. Her secret? She's the Devil herself.

**Disclaimer: **All rights belong to Higuchi Tachibana-sensei.

* * *

A brunette stood in front of Alice Academy, a very prestigious and magnificent school that had been running for almost fifty years. With its notable reputation, only the prominent and the wealthy can enter. She gazed at the golden lettering of the school's name, found on the main gate. She clenched her fists and gulped.

She didn't like it one bit at all.

She glanced at the blue sky that seems to be smiling at her. Her milky brown eyes met the sun, making her lips form a frown. It's been a millennium or so since their last meeting and, up to now, their meetings have never been pleasant. She looked back at the gate and her expression turned worse.

Yes, she didn't like it one bit at all.

"Damn," she cursed, seeing the humans walking around. "Stupid punishment."

Earlier that day, the same brunette stood in the middle of the arena. Everybody in the crowd stared at her, giving her looks of disappointment and arrogance. She was surrounded with everything pure white, making her black clothing stood out more.

The Court of Dimensions was the worst place to go to when an angel or a devil committed something terrible. And apparently, she was there.

"Mikan Sakura." shouted a masculine voice, coming from the light that suddenly appeared before her. As soon as it faded, it revealed a man who looked in his forties. His black hair was pressed down, a pair of blue lens covered his eyes and his evenly toned skin caught everyone's attention. It was God himself.

"Mikan Sakura," he shouted, this time. His words caused the girl's ears to perk. "You have executed a very terrible crime indeed. Do you deny it?"

Mikan stared onto his eyes and shook her head.

"I shall sentence you to banishment over the human world." he declared, eyeing her with a glare. If he wasn't the supreme ruler of Heaven, Mikan sworn she would have sliced him into two.

"But," he added, there was a long pause after that. "You can return," Mikan's expression lightened a bit. "If only—_only_—you managed to be successful at the task I'm about to hand you."

Mikan gulped. She knew God wouldn't make it easier for her to enter the celestial world again but she was determined to do this one. "What is it?" she asked, getting the crowd's total attention. The audience continued to watched, their eyes never left them.

"Correct the ways of _the_ five devilish boys of Alice Academy." he stated, almost grinning. The crowd gasped, making Mikan's knees weaken. Everyone knew those five were, nobody wouldn't dare to cross their paths with them.

"Hold on a minute," Mikan shouted, surprising God in a manner he didn't expect. "That's impossible! Those kids are pure evil—evil I tell you! They never received gifts from Santa Claus. They're at the top of the Naughty List. They're Lucifer's spawn!"

You see, dear readers, exaggeration has its own way with words. Some people do believe it whilst some do not. Albeit to the fact that people do believe it, God does not... _unfortunately_.

He shook his head in dismay. "Now, now, Mikan Sakura, don't exaggerate too much." from the podium he was standing on, he took a step down and circled around her. "We all know that Lucifer has only one child and it's you." He pointed his finger at her, making her recoil.

She tried to protest but before she could say another word, God spoke once more. "Actually, you should thank your father for decreasing the burden on your part," he snapped his fingers. "Now, off you go."

"Wait—!" A large pitch-black portal surrounded the brunette and sucked her up. She was gone.

"Disperse." God ordered, making the audience leave one by one.

From the shadows, a man stepped out, catching God's attention. His silver eyes glowed at the sight of the celestial being. He ran his fingers through his long, silver—_not white_—hair. He reached out his hand in the air, making his fingers shown in the process, his pointy, long fingernail made God recoiled in disgust. You could trace deep wrinkles around his face, especially on his forehead. "You could have at least told her about the prophecy."

"I dare not," God replied, bitterness lingering in his tone. "It is not right to tell her; after all, her fate will involve those _five_, especially the one who carries the destiny to be her fated-half. If she knew, she'll trample it, you know how she is."

Lucifer cringed at the D-word. He never liked it and he dare not say it aloud. "I can't stand the thought that a mere mortal will take my daughter's heart."

* * *

**Chapter One: The Punishment**

* * *

She cursed in ancient Demonic tongue. Staying under the heat was one thing, finding those boys were another. God must have been making things harder for her since the sun kept on shining brightly, she thought. Demons have their own weaknesses they try to cover up as much as possible, hers was the sun. She had a terrible experience with the sun, making her develop hatred for it on the process.

"Where could they be?" she murmured whilst checking the surroundings. It had been thirty minutes since she started searching for them. Much to her dismay, she couldn't even find any of the five.

"I better check my journal again."

She reached her hand out in the air and _POOF _a small, pink notebook suddenly appeared. She flipped the pages to the part where the five's information was jotted down. "Ah-hah." she mumbled.

* * *

**Name**_**: **_Natsume Hyuuga(with a small picture of him)

**Age: **16

**Alice: **Fire

**Description: Raven **haired boy; a total playboy; has crimson-red eyes; slightly tanned skin; white, shiny teeth; the leader of the five; rudest and the most devilish of the five.

**Deepest secret: **Has nothing to hide.

* * *

**Name: **Ruka Nogi(with a small picture of him)

**Age: **16

**Alice: **AnimalPheromone

**Description: **Blond hair; has clear cerulean eyes; white skin; loves animals and even carries one of his pets; Natsume Hyuuga's best friend.

**Deepest secret: **Gives love advice on the Internet.

* * *

**Name: **Koko Yome(with a small picture of him)

**Age: **16

**Alice: **Mind-reading

**Description: **Brown hair; has brown captivating eyes; fair skin; loves to tease people; most talkative in the five.

**Deepest secret: **Had a huge crush on Natsume's sister.

* * *

**Name: **Tsubasa Andou(with a small picture of him)

**Age: **17

**Alice: **Shadow Manipulation

**Description: **Raven-haired boy; has black mesmerizing eyes; fair skin; has a small star tattoo located under his left eye; loves to play pranks at other people; oldest of the five.

**Deepest secret: **Has a huge crush with Misaki Harada, his childhood friend.

* * *

**Name: **Youichi Hijiri(with a small picture of him)

**Age: **15

**Alice: **Ghost Manipulation

**Description: **Silver-haired boy; has silver captivating eyes; most deceiving of the five; fair skin; small but terrible; youngest out of the five.

**Deepest secret: **Still pees on his bed.

* * *

She gave out a sinister smile which caused the nearby flower bush to wither.

"Only this Natsume Hyuuga hasn't his secret revealed yet." Mikan murmured. She found it interesting—_very interesting_.

Inside the classroom, she noticed that everyone was secretly glancing at her. This peeved her. Even without looking at them, she could feel the intense stares they were giving at her back. She swore she could sense that it was almost as if they could see her very soul.

When the teacher arrived, everyone took a seat and listened on what he was going to say. Mikan eyed him from top to bottom. His blond hair glittered under the sun, making it bright for her eyes. She tried her best to look away.

"Good morning," he greeted, starting his class with a smile. It was absurd that he was wearing purple leggings with a matching tutu. No one dared questioned his fashion sense. "We have a transfer student." he gestured Mikan to stand up, which she did. "Please treat her well."

She tossed her hair in the air and eyed everyone in the room. She could hear their whispers, their heartbeat and most of all the steps nearing which came from outside. She turned to the door and waited for the latecomers.

The door opened wide and it revealed a masculine figure of a boy. His detailed jaw line was perfect, his nose was pointed just fine, his wide shoulders would make him stand out if he was in a crowd, his muscular and big chest would fit two girls and his sole presence caused a stir in the room.

As soon as he stepped into the room, his _gang_ followed him. With just one look at them, you would feel they were superior; it was as if they own the place. Their eyes didn't met with any of the student's. One of the members, Koko, bumped to the teacher's table, making some of the paper files drop on the floor.

In _normal_ circumstances, Mikan being a devil would have shook in laughter, encouraging them to execute more evil deeds. But this time she was on a mission to whip their asses to perfect condition. Normally, it was an Angel's job to do this; but they picked the wrong person this time.

"Hey," she called, she wasn't pertaining to anyone in the five but it was Youichi who glanced back at her. It was an utter miracle when he did, after all, he was the kind of person who would hesitate to confront anyone. "You should apologize to the teacher."

The young silver-haired boy clicked his tongue in irritation, "Are you ordering _us_?" his tone sounded in disbelief, as if he thought that he heard wrong.

_But he didn't. His ears were in perfect shape._

"In a matter of fact, yes." she admitted, a small smug appearing on her face.

Koko nudged Youichi to ignore the brunette but it was too late for that. Tsubasa lurched forward and decided to take the matter in his own hands. "For your own good, I think you should pipe down," he spat. "Unless you want to face _our_ wrath."

Mikan rolled her eyes, deciding to ignore his worthless comment.

Tsubasa cracked his knuckles in anger, the girl's attitude pissed him off. She was the first girl who annoyed him like this, second was his childhood friend.

"You're a transferee, aren't you?" Koko asked, beaming a devilish smirk. "Maybe you haven't heard but there's this saying going around the campus: _Mess with the five, they'll mess your face._"

The brunette simply laughed at their remarks as if it was a playful joke. Her action caused some of the people in the room puzzled and worried. _This won't end well._

The raven-haired boy stood in one corner, watching everything in silence. For him, she looked like an exotic animal—so rare to see. He never met a girl who would fight back against them. His lips curved into a small unnoticeable smirk.

"Who do you _PFFT_ think you _PFFT_ guys are?" she asked, between laughs. "I'm not scared of you three. You're like insects, easy to squash!" Tsubasa clenched his fists. "I know _everything_ about you guys." With her statement, it caused them to think _is she a stalker?_

"Little Youichi still pees on his bed," she stated mockingly, causing the silver-haired boy to blush furiously. "Blondie, here, gives out love advice in the internet. Andou is hopelessly in love with _this_ Misaki. And Yome is having sexual fantasies about Hyuuga's sister."

"HOW THE FUCK DID YOU KNOW?" Koko cried, making everyone gasp except a few. His reaction made everyone believed on what the brunette was saying.

The brown-haired boy glanced at his leader and caught him twitching in anger. He mouthed, 'Sorry, I didn't mean to.' causing the flame caster much more annoyed.

"Hey," the raven-haired boy finally spoke as he strode toward the brunette. His red eyes met the girl's brown ones. Sparks flew, but not the kind of love-sparks. It was the kind I-want-to-kill-you sparks. "I don't like you pushing my friends around." he turned to Koko and glared at him, the poor boy return a forced chuckle.

"I don't know how you... manage to attain those stupid information but I'm warning you," he warned. "Back off or I'll send you to Hell."

The funny thing was that Mikan was already from Hell and sending her back would be doing her a favor. Yes, she liked that. She didn't want to stay any longer in the human world, she wanted to go back. But she knew _this_ Natsume Hyuuga had no power over her.

Mikan growled at him, her eyebrows _almost_ connecting.

He cupped her chin with his hands and looked at her straight into the eye. "You think you're so great, huh, you little punk." Mikan slapped his hand away.

"What's your alice?" He demanded. He needed to know her alice in order for him to beat her to a pulp.

"You don't need to know." she replied.

"If you're so great, tell me something I'm hiding from you." he challenged her. He had nothing to hide, and that made him confident. He wanted to humiliate the girl in front of everyone.

Mikan rummaged through her bag for her pink diary which appeared. She flipped the pages and the Natsume's information caused her to paralyze on her spot. At the back of her mind, she sworn she felt faint.

* * *

**Name**_**: **_Natsume Hyuuga(with a small picture of him)

**Age: **16

**Alice: **Fire

**Description: Raven **haired boy; a total playboy; has crimson-red eyes; slightly tanned skin; white, shiny teeth; the leader of the five; rudest and the most devilish of the five.

**Deepest secret: **Has a crush on Mikan Sakura.

Yep, she didn't like that one bit at all.

* * *

**To Be Continued**


	2. Different Feelings

**The Devil Herself****  
****[Revised]**

**Summary: **For Mikan Sakura, transforming five devilish boys for the better is definitely not an easy task. The problem? Those boys have a winning streak for misbehaviour. Her secret? She's the Devil herself.

**Disclaimer: **All rights belong to Higuchi Tachibana-sensei.

* * *

Everyone in Alice Academy knew how to mind their own business, especially when it involved the famous five. In these present times, in order for one to survive, you must give way to people who are superior to you. That's the way it goes and Mikan, unfortunately, didn't know and didn't follow.

Nobody could beat Natsume Hyuuga in an argument, the last one who tried ended up pretty bad in a hospital. Thus, people decided on their own that little King Hyuuga was unbeatable. That was what everyone agreed upon; no more, no less.

He stared at her weirdly, wondering why she took a small notebook out. His cold stare started to turn stern. She closed her notebook with a soft thud. She felt her throat dry, she wanted to get out of this situation. It was uncalled for.

She was _the_ Devil. She won't back down without a good fight.

"This is only the beginning." she spat bitterly. She sat down grumpily, making the raven-haired boy smirk triumphantly.

Oh, how she hated it.

As soon as classes were over, the brunette rushed outside, avoiding everyone on her way. Pride was coursing through her veins. Well, all the other deadly sins do as well but it was pride that ran deep in her core.

She stood in front of an arched door with the words _Principal's Office_ written in the side. She knocked three times before hearing a voice.

"Come in," a voice said from inside.

She turned the knob and went in.

When Mikan entered the room, the very first thing she saw was a pot of silver roses located in the middle of the place. The entire floor was covered with red, Persian rug that smelled of sweet jasmine. The room is dimly lighted and behind the desk stood a petite figure. The unidentified person's eyes were cold as death itself. Apparently, that person was a _she_.

The slight movement of the curtains behind her, caused a bit of light to enter the room, revealing that she was wearing a black dress with orange fox fur wrapped around her shoulders. The bit of sunlight showed her beauty in front of the brunette. She was old enough to be someone's aunt but not a single wrinkle could be traced on her skin.

"Yuka," Mikan hissed through her teeth. "Still the same as always."

The woman tucked some strands of her hair behind her ear and beamed a smile. Her long, edgy fingernails are taped down on her beloved desk. A small plaque seated at the very edge of the table with words engraved, _Headmistress Yuka Azumi_.

"Is that how you greet your Mom who you've last met ages ago?" she questioned, making it sound that a numerable amount of time has passed by between them.

Mikan raises her index finger at her, indicating her to hush. "As far as I know," she admitted as she moistened her lower lip. "I _never_ for once acknowledge you as my mother. You did nothing but bring embarrassment to _my_ family, even since you left _our_ world for a mere human being." She shot a glare at the woman who did nothing but look at her in morose.

"I may have fallen in disgrace," she started, holding her breath. "But that doesn't change the fact that I'm a direct lineage of _Anathemates_. You do know the worth of my kind, don't you?"

Mikan drew another breath. _Anathemates_. The word still rings a bell after hearing decades ago. She learned that Anathemate are immortal beings that never grows old—which others find a _blessing_ whilst the Anathemate themselves find it as a _curse_. Only a few of them are left, ever since the Celestials Dark Ages started. Anathemates can only grow old and die when they _voluntarily_ give their life force to another being.

"Plus," she added. "If you fell for a human, you'll learn to understand my past decisions."

Mikan grunted at her statement. It was preposterous. A Celestial being and a human! The thought of it made the brunette puke.

"Sadly, Yuka," she replied with a heavy distaste for mentioning her name. "I _will_ never understand it. Falling in love with a human will _never_ be in my plans. Never."

Yuka's lips formed a small smile, too small for her daughter to notice. "Life is unexpected, daughter," she says, leaning her head a bit towards Mikan. She decided to leave the topic at that. "How's Lucifer?"

Her words sent electrifying shocks to her daughter. She never expected that her mot—_Yuka_ would still care for her father.

"He's doing well." The young devil replied.

"By the way," Yuka appended. "What are you doing here? I was caught surprised when I received an entrance application from your father. Aren't Angels and Devils banned from stepping in the mortal world?"

_Damn. It was too early for her to notice._

The young brunette pursed her lips, she felt her throat going dry. Yuka hit the bull's-eye.

"How did you wind up on Earth?"

* * *

Yuka bit her lower lip, her deep brown orbs looks uneasy. She closed her eyes for a moment and composed her thoughts. Mikan did nothing but stare at her with anxiousness. The sudden silence made Mikan's stomach do summersaults. At the corner of her eye, she sworn she saw her mother scowl.

"I see," her mother muttered. Condensing the words Mikan said to her awhile ago, she paused and quenched her thirst with a glass of water. "Good luck, that's all I can say."

Mikan looked at her in bewilderment. "_Good luck_?" she repeated. Her tone sounds quite unsure. "That's all?"

Yuka nodded. "Do you not believe me? You'll need the most luck you can gather," she answered confidently. There was a sudden pause. "On a second thought, it's better if you give up. This task is impossible."

"But—"

"They're Lucifer's reincarnation!" she exaggerated, making Mikan roll her eyes at her. "There was this one time that they tried..."

"Yuka," Mikan called, trying to get her mother's focus. "I'm not interested." Much to her dismay, her mother ignored her.

"...to steal the answer keys for the upcoming exams. _Oh boy, they made me stressed during that time. _They trespassed into this room." She gestured her hands to stress it out that it was this _very_ room. "Unfortunately for them and luckily for me, I've hidden the answer keys in another room. They shouldn't underestimate me." she ended with a huff.

_Thud!_

She looks in front of her and realizes that Mikan had already left. She leaned back to her seat, unmoved. "Centuries ago, it was said that my daughter will have the universe's fate on the palm of her hands. Years later, it's going to happen—the end of the world." she thought sadly. It was prophesized—it _will_ come true.

Her daughter. Their fate. _His _death.

* * *

**Chapter Two: Different Feelings**

* * *

"Room 218," She murmured, walking past every floor just to find that god damn room. "Room 218." After getting her entrance application back, she was placed in the Solar Dorm where males and females co-exist and, most importantly, where the _five_ resides.

The Academy provides its student with three different dorms that offer different distinction. In the Nova Dormitory, males co-exist with their same sexes. Most of the rowdy and spoiled were placed there. Their building was located at the farthest section of the whole campus, to avoid their ruckus being seen and caught by other transferee's family. The other dormitory is called Miator where the females reside. Most of the school's beauties were dwelling there. Of course, their dormitory is off-limits to male students and male visitors. Lastly, the Solar Dormitory where most of the well-known families' kids were sited there. To be able to part of that residence, your family must pay billions of money just to have their kid some privacy and seclusion from the other families whom they find average.

Apparently, Lucifer did a good job.

As soon as she entered the hallway, she found herself in front of the so-called Room 218. She rummaged for her key through her purse, creating jingling sounds on the process. She took out the key and joined it inside the keyhole. She turned the doorknob and entered the room.

She found herself lost for words on how the room was perfectly designed for her. The arch windows, the dimly lighted room, the dark blue wallpapers, the intricate marble engraved designs and the scent of roses lingering in the air. It was perfect. Nobody could ask for more.

She dropped her baggage onto the coffee table and slide down on one of the couches. She noticed that there were two king-size beds at the room's corners, probably one for a guest, and the other for the room's owner.

She glanced down at the marble floor, and could see herself staring back right at her. It was polished very well. Clean, too clean. And she prefers it to stay that way.

She unpacked her belongings and laid everything on the bed, making the perfectly organized room, messy. She took her strawberry-scented shampoo and soap and entered the bathroom.

She filled the tub with lukewarm water, poured the liquid bath she found on the shelf and dipped herself in.

_Perfect._

Nothing could go wrong.

Natsume didn't expect for the girl to disappear quickly right after the bell rang. He wanted to _play_ more with her. She was the first to make him... _excited_. He didn't know why but he felt that there was something different about this girl. Something unknown that caught his attention as soon as he laid his eyes on her.

As he was about to take his room keys out from his pockets, he noticed that someone intruded his room. After all, every morning he inserts a piece of paper within the door's frame, just to see whether someone trespasses or not. _And someone did_. Just the thought of an unknown lurker currently inside his room, ignited fury in his veins. He doesn't want his privacy rights to be violated. After all, that was why he was in this dorm—to get the privacy he thought he deserved.

He turned the knob and stepped inside his room. Everything was still in the same place, except for his messy bed and some unidentified objects lying around. He wanted to throw the objects at the garbage bin but, first, he wants to seek the intruder out and burn him alive.

He heard flowing water coming from the bathroom. He narrowed his eyes on the door, confused on what the intruder is up to. He turned the knob softly.

Guess who he saw?

A girl. Not to mention, naked. Plus, it was _that_ girl he wanted to see the most.

_Mikan_.

He couldn't help but flash a grin. Her brown hair was damped and was covered will pink-like bubbles. He could see every curve of her body, although the mist from the mixture of the water covered some of her parts that he wanted to see the most, which teased him abit. She was busy humming a four-noted tune while scrubbing her legs.

He whistled. She turned her head.

Her eyes widened in shock. His grin widened more.

She screamed, almost making Natsume's ears bleed. She shot a deadly glare in all that she managed to muster at the situation she was currently facing. Her plain look of resentment added to the list of Natsume's _Things-I-Want-To-See-Before-I-Die_ List.

"Pervert!" she roared. "Pervert!" She kept on splashing the water around her, some droplets found its way to Natsume's clothes, making him annoyed. He charged toward her and then he wrapped his fingers around her wrist tightly, catching the full wrath of the wet brunette's rage.

"Get away, Dickhead," she cursed, trying to break free of his tight grasp. "Lem'me go!"

She kept on saying curses that peeved Natsume. He wanted to shut her up. He couldn't comprehend why he even held her; something just came over him—something powerful, something unmentionable and something dangerous for him. He pinned her at the tub's edge and planted a rough kiss on her. She felt something hot rushing to her cheeks. She claimed it was the water, but we know better.

It was Natsume who pulled away, realizing on what he has done.

"Why did you do that?" she asked as soon as the kiss broke, panting and staying away from Natsume who is five inch away from her face.

"Simple," He started, tone of seriousness trailing in his voice. "Because I like you."

As if Mikan didn't know that already.

**To Be Continued**


	3. Acceptance

**The Devil Herself****  
[Revised]**

**Summary: **For Mikan Sakura, transforming five devilish boys for the better is definitely not an easy task. The problem? Those boys have a winning streak for misbehaviour. Her secret? She's the Devil herself.

**Disclaimer: **All rights belong to Higuchi Tachibana-sensei.

* * *

She felt her lips twitching in frustration. She knew he had this _thing_—she shuddered at the idea—over her. She didn't mind the kiss, it was just lips saying hi to one another. It was his confession that lingered in her mind.

For the first time in her life, she finally got to hear one. In hell, she had been hearing rumours of her fellow demons liking her but none got the courage to ask her out. In truth, she thought that nobody could declare their love for a demon such as herself. Before she was born, inside Yuka's womb, everyone knew she was different. Born from Lucifer and an Anathemate, she was unlike others.

Yuka's Anathemate qualities didn't show in her. It was as if her demon blood rejected it and consumed her completely.

"Natsume Hyuuga," she growled as she shot up and was about to charge him. Her landing wasn't very lucky though. Her foot landed on a slippery tile and fell hard against the floor.

Darkness engulfed her eyesight. She couldn't see anything but black. Was she dead? It was unheard of for a demon to get killed by soap. She would be remembered by the little devils as the female demon that was murdered by a slippery creature named Soap.

"What happened, Natsume?" a voice asked. From the tone pitch, she deduced that it was Nogi. Had he and Natsume died as well?

"N-Natsume, don't tell me you lost it and you killed her…" This time she was sure this was that Andou.

For a moment, she felt tired. Had the five died and had come with her to the purgatory to torment her in no end?

"Stupid," Natsume hissed. "She slipped and lost her consciousness."

"Hey! She's starting to wake up!"

Mikan's eyesight was a bit blurry when she woke. Heads of the five poked out, but she couldn't identify them if it weren't for their hair color. She felt pain on her head. She hadn't felt pain before, so this was it felt like to be hurt. Being in the celestial word released her from physical pain.

Natsume flicked her finger against her forehead. "I see that the sleeping _beauty_ was interrupted in her slumber."

She scowled at his obvious sarcasm. "Has the _charming _prince come to kiss her lips?"

Memories of the past bitten the young lad and caused his cheeks to turn pink. Their bathroom scene entered his thoughts. It made Mikan contented to see him flustered over a kiss. She crossed her arms and realized that she was in a bathrobe. It wasn't her own so she reasoned that it could be Natsume's. Maybe, she thought, there was still good in him.

He smirked. "The prince already did."

Or maybe not.

The other four boys looked at them back and forth. Their eyes continuing to observe the sight before them and their minds trying to process on what just _happened_ and what was _happening_.

It was Ruka who spoke up. "Mind to fill in the gap."

"The wretch kissed me." Natsume claimed.

The brunette's eyes widen in shock and her mouth formed a very huge 'o'. "I did not kiss you!" she denied, realizing later that from other people's perspective it looked like she was lying.

"You dare taint Natsume's pure lips?" Youichi questioned. If Mikan wasn't sure that he was straight, she would have thought of his as gay. Hearing the words from the boy's mouth caused another shock to her. Natsume's lips haven't been kissed before? Clearly, the situation was being unexpected to her.

Tsubasa jerked his chin. "Take responsibility."

Mikan was almost on the point of pulling her hair. "I'm the victim here! He kissed me!"

Her words caused the other four to cringe, especially Ruka who evidently showed a disgusted look. "As if Natsume would do such thing."

Mikan felt her lips went dry. Her words came to a halt. There was no way those boys would believe her. She was nobody to them. Of course, they would side with Natsume. What was she expecting?

It was Natsume who decided to save her the trouble of coming up with her words. "Don't you remember something?"

She glanced at him. "What?"

He flapped his shirt's collar, indicating to Mikan what he was referring to. Mikan looked down and realized what he was gesturing. Her robe. She tightly clutched her hands on it.

He leaned closer to her, his lips twisting a grin. "Don't you remember I slip the robe on you?"

She drew back. "P-Pervert!"

* * *

**Chapter Three: Acceptance**

* * *

It took her hours to compose herself. She recalled her father's lessons about men turning to wolves and preying on women. Lucifer may not look like it but when it came to Mikan, he was very concern for her well-being. He taught her the perspective of men when it came to ignorance and wants.

Mikan cursed in silence. She regretted not listening carefully to her father's teachings. She was searching for a thread connected to her memory with regards to her conversation with her father. She distantly remembered him babbling about young male adolescents who were driven by lust.

Her thoughts were cut short when a raindrop fell from the dark sky. Her endeavour to kick Natsume Hyuuga out of the room was successful but she knew it would only be temporary. Her thoughts drifted to the same scene she remembered under the pouring rain.

"_It's raining again, Angel." Mikan sighed wistfully._

"_You're not supposed to be here. Demons are not allowed in this place. In normal circumstances, your kind burns and writhes in pain once they step foot in my room, but you… well, you're different."_

"_I am different. I'm Lucifer's daughter."_

"_You always say that. Lucifer's this, Lucifer's that. You must be proud to be his child."_

_She smiled almost awkwardly. It wasn't bad for a devil to smile, but Mikan couldn't quite perfect hers. It had been too long since she last. . . smiled. "I guess I am. Aren't you proud you're God's child?"_

"_I am."_

"_The same goes for me. Others may think that both of us are completely different—you an angel, me a devil. It's only our race the separates us. You and I, we're the same in a way."_

_The Angel patted Mikan's head and smiled. "One day, I'll create a place where devils and angels would co-exist. No differences, no wars and no useless deaths."_

"_The war would end soon."_

She missed _her_ angel badly. She knew the angel's dream was a foolish utopia, but it sounded sweet in her ears. Ever since Lucifer's betrayal, he and his supporters were thrown away in a barren land. They survived of course. They could neither eat nor sleep, but they felt agonizing pain like a human did, which was unnatural to them.

For every step they took, it was like walking on burning chasms. To survive, they feed on the woes and wicked deeds of men. It took them centuries to adapt to their new and uncommon lifestyle.

Angels can never enter the barren lands of the demons and the demons can never enter the sacred home of the angels. It was the newly formed rule.

But everything changed, when a war broke out. It was the second war, ever since Lucifer's betrayal. The Dark Ages began and neither the demons nor the angels were the enemies. It was the Unmentionables who started this war. They didn't come from the angels' side or the demons'. They weren't born—they were made. Up until now, their creator hasn't been found.

Angel and devils worked together to stop the forces. It was hard but both had the same goal—to vanquish their common enemy. The Angels found the Unmentionables a foe considering they bring havoc to the celestial world and to mankind. It was their job to protect their sanctuary and the human beings. The Devils on the other hand had a different motive. The Unmentionables were a threat to their existence. The Unmentionables collected massive amounts of sinful desires and feasted on it. Apparently, they "stole" the devils' energy source and the said group fought them to protect what was theirs.

When both sides—the Angels and the Devils—merged, they had defeated the Unmentionables. Trust and friendship started to rekindle between the two races. Different set of rules were made and treaties were started.

The Treaty of Solstice was created to mend the broken trust between God and Lucifer. Twice a year, demons were allowed to enter the holy sanctuary. It was then when Mikan met her angel.

The room's door opened and Natsume came in. With a long, proud posture, he strode to where the brunette was.

"If you're not so busy daydreaming, I just would like you to know that dinner is being served."

Mikan arched a brow. "How disturbing of you to make an effort of reminding me."

"The cafeteria staff doesn't feed students without their dormitory partners. The academy has the silliest rules and ever since you came here, I was no longer an exception to that rule." He said.

Mikan rolled her eyes and got up. Before leaving, she took another long look at the window.

* * *

The young brunette continued to stare at the ceiling as if she was anticipating something or someone to appear and save her from this misery. It wouldn't happen though. She was stuck in this place until she fulfilled her mission. It wasn't impossible like how many people say that it actually was, it was just that the other party was not making it easy for her.

If she hadn't committed her crime, then she would have been happy and content right now. She had another idea. What if she didn't come back? What if she continued to stay here in this world and lived an ordinary life?

With little magic left, she could act as an alice and live a human life. There was nothing to live for even though she returns. Her mother wasn't there. Her father wasn't home most of the time. She didn't have any other relatives. Her Angel was. . . dead.

She felt a sharp pain across her heart. Sometimes she would forget about that fact. It wasn't intentional whenever she forgets, but it was built in her system. It was built in order for devils not to dwell too long in the past. Apparently, she was still continuing to live in the past. It made her wonder if ever she was _really _meant to be a demon.

She felt things that an ordinary demon should not. She felt anger, happiness and guilt. Those three emotions shouldn't have existed, but it did. Surprisingly, those emotions happened when it revolved around her Angel.

She shouldn't remember the Angel's death. She shouldn't pay heed to it. But how could she forget when living at this moment reminded her of it? How could she forget when her punishment reminded her that she betrayed her friend and killed her Angel?

The scenes kept on playing inside her mind, it was a bit vague and blurry but the sight of blood on her dear Angel's body was clear.

She was supposed to be dead. That was her original punishment. God wasn't forgiving to their kind, it made him remember things. Her crime made him remember the time Lucifer betrayed him. It made him suspicious of the current alliance.

It pained her that sometimes she had forgotten and that God hadn't. How could he forget when his only child was murdered? She felt sick.

It was thanks to her father that she still continued to live. She didn't know if she should thank him for that. No parent would want to see their child getting buried before them. Mikan believed that death was a better option than continuing to live and remember her sins.

"Hey, Natsume, are you still awake?" she asked as she shifted on her bed.

"Leave me alone." Was all he replied.

"Do you believe in angels?" she asked, casting off his rude reply.

He didn't bother replying. Mikan thought that he must have fallen asleep in an instant. She sighed.

"I believe," he said softly. "They're taking care of my little sister right now."

Mikan couldn't see his face in the darkness. She could not imagine what kind of expression he was making. From the sound of his voice, it hinted sadness and longing. Maybe she and Natsume Hyuuga were not as different as she thought they would be.

She coughed. "Um, how did she die?" She sworn she saw him falter in the dark. She bit her lower lip. She should have kept her mouth shut.

"An accident," he muttered.

"How old was she?"

"Twelve."

"You're right. She's probably in heaven now. Most kids who die early go straight to heaven. They're kinda like the VIPs."

Natsume got up, his back resting against the headboard. He turned the lampshade on. His red orbs looked straight at her. _He would have been a wonderful demon_, she thought at the sight of his physical features.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he looked at her as if she was some psycho.

She waved her hand dismissively. "Nothing, it's just me being crazy like always."

A smile appeared on his face and was followed by soft chuckle. His sudden outburst was met with the unforgettable expression of incredulity of Mikan. The brunette felt good. His smile made her comfortable. It was the first time she felt this happy ever since she set foot in this world.

Natsume jerked his chin at her. "Hey, don't go telling people we're close or something. My laugh doesn't mean anything at all. Got it?"

She tried to hide her grin. "Got it."

He shut the lights off and covered himself with his blanket. His turned the other way, his back facing her. Tomorrow morning, she would wake up and see another Natsume Hyuuga. He had different sides to him. This might be the last chance she'll get to talk to him properly, she might as well use that chance.

"Do you believe in demons?" she blurted without thinking. She couldn't comprehend why she asked that. Sometimes she found herself confusing. Maybe she wanted someone to acknowledge her existence.

"I do." He replied.

"Why?" she asked, curious at his response.

"They're the ones who took my sister away."

She felt her stomach turning. The existence of angels would not exist without its other counterpart. The striking difference between good and evil would not exist if the other was missing. She had forgotten once again that human beings were frail creatures who believed in the existence of evil.

"Do you think devils can have guardian angels?" she asked.

"No." Mikan heard his blanket shuffling. "Because they're not supposed to have one."

Her lips drew a straight line. "I heard a story about a devil wishing for a very own guardian angel."

"That's bogus. Why would the devil wish for something stupid as that?"

"The devil saw what angels looked like. It mesmerized her how beautiful they were and no matter how much she was revered by her own kin, she knew she would never be beautiful and pure as the angels are. She was born tainted and twisted."

"How did the story end?" he asked with a yawn.

"The devil got what she wished for. She got her own angel."

"So it was a happy ending?"

Mikan smiled. "Yes."

"Then stop bothering me. Go to sleep."

She kept her blanket close to her face. She felt her eyes burning. She wished the story ended better. Her previous actions made her realize how selfish she was. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

When the devil found the angel no longer breathing, she knew the angel will never come back. She observed her bloody yet beautiful face. Oh, how she wanted to have someone like her close by her side. She didn't want the angel to leave so she broke the angel's wings and it broke the angel's apart.

Then the devil realized something that she wanted too long ago. She didn't want an angel. She _wanted _to be an angel.

**To Be Continued**


End file.
